In The Spotlighthttp://www.emmanuelarlington.org/
en-usTue, 03 Mar 2015 18:45:43 GMTWed, 14 Jan 2015 05:00:00 GMThttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rssSiteOrganic60webmaster@emmanuelarlington.orgBeyond tomorrow, before yesterday, and even what’s in-betweenhttp://www.emmanuelarlington.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=129468&articleId=17522
". . .destined to change the way we live" but not enough to change our life.
When I was growing up and before my parents got cable, I would watch a TV show called, “Beyond 2000” on public television. The show went off the air for a while but is now being produced in Australia as “Beyond Tomorrow” and can be seen on the Science Channel. Here’s the Science Channel’s own description of the show:

Beyond Tomorrow is the cutting-edge series that will change the way you think about your future. Filmed around the world, the magazine-style program is packed with amazing technological innovations and breakthrough scientific advancements that are destined to change the way we live. A cast of reporters travel the globe, informing viewers on a diverse range of subjects including medicine, aviation, computers, space, agriculture, transport, architecture, energy, environment, sport, leisure and adventure. This series looks into our future to see what is now within the realm of possibility.

So while most of my friends were eagerly watching “Beverly Hills 90210” to find out about Brandon or “Who’s the Boss” to find about Samantha, I was glued to the television watching “Beyond 2000” finding out about ultrasonic washing machine prototypes. Those of you who have met me or know me, are probably not surprised at all by this.

What I found so fascinating about the show was the no questions asked attitude about how these inventions were either going to change the future or going to be the future. And that future was going to be an amazing place where everything was easier and all of the things that made your life unpleasant would be overcome by technology. What else could you want? Technology would provide you all that you need.

When I fast forward to today I see that technology has changed our lives quite a bit, but it has not made our lives any more fulfilling-it changed our way of living but not our life. Yet we still see technology as the answer to all our life’s problems. Science and Technology cannot fill our loneliness and desire for community. It cannot calm our insecurities or bring us to experience true love. It cannot forever remove the cruelties of this fallen world; the abuse, the neglect, the manipulation, the deception.

Jesus knew our wanting and hunger for more than just a physical existence. We were created to have this hunger. God even saw this in the first man He created and saw fit to give him a loving community. And even in the fall we have been given hope and redemption to satisfy the hunger of life in the present. Our hunger is not in something new that is yet to be discovered but in the past when we were recovered by God, in the future when we know we will be reunited with Him, and in the present as He is with us.

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons [5] of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

-Matthew 5

As I was writing this blog, there was a commercial that just happen to appear on TV that reminded me of how we think science and technology can satisfy our hunger for a fulfilling life. The commercial goes as follows. A teenage brother and an adolescent sister are playing wii tennis with their mother and father watching- the whole family is laughing and smiling. A car pulls up and honks. It’s the brother’s friends, they’ve come to pick him up to go out. The mother asks, “aren’t you going to go out?” The brother replies, “nah they can wait.” The commercial voice over enters and describes how the wii is bringing families together suggesting that purchasing one will do the same for you. Funny, the thing that really brings families together was already purchased in enough quantity for all of the families of the world and last I checked it didn’t need a Wiimote and it wasn’t a virtual Mii, it was a real Him. Don’t get me wrong, playing Wii is a lot of fun and I do love me some Wii Sports, but I don’t think a Wii is going satisfy anyone’s hunger to have a close knit family.